Anti-tampering device for bottles



y 24, 1956 s. M. CROCE 2,755,951

' ANTI-TAMPERING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES Filed June 23, '1955 A 7'TOPNE Y ANTI-TAMPERING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES Santy M. Croce, Hauppauge, N. Y., assignor to Coty, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 23, 1953, Serial No. 363,565

Claims. (Cl. 215-7) This invention relates to tamperproof devices for bottles and more particularly to such a device which serves to reveal Whether a bottle has been opened.

In the application of Jean R. L. Martin, Serial No. 137,721 filed January 10, 1950, now Patent No. 2,670,869, and assigned to the assignee of this application, there was disclosed a plug or stopper for a perfume bottle which incorporated a conical spring member of resilient plastic material. The conical spring member acted against the inner walls of the bottle neck so as to firmly retain the stopper therein. In accordance with the instant invention, I provide an anti-tampering member which, in the form shown, is connected to a plug which may be of the type above described. The anti-tampering member takes the form of a cap which is designed to be removable from the bottle so as to permit access to its contents. Removal of the cap causes thin webs or membranes therein to be ruptured so that while the cap may be replaced, the evidence that it has been removed remains. This will indicate to a user that the bottle has been tampered with.

An important aspect of the instant invention is that the anti-tampering member, being integral with the plug, is arranged to serve as a handle therefor facilitating the removal of the plug. It will be recognized that the plug must of necessity effect firm contact with the inner walls of the bottle neck and the anti-tampering cap serves to provide a handhold means therefor in addition to its tampering indicating function.

The invention will be further understood from the following description and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational, cross-sectional view of the combined anti-tampering device and plug of the instant invention as applied to a bottle neck;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view as taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the device;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the device;

Figure 5 is an elevational, cross-sectional view similar to Figure 1 but illustrating the removal of the cap and partial lifting of the plug; and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view as taken along the line 66 of Figure 5.

The device comprises a planar cap 10 which is fabricated of a resilient plastic material such as nylon or polyethylene. It covers the top of the bottle neck 11 and is provided with pull tabs 12 which facilitate diametrical bending and lifting of the cap as hereinafter described. Cap 10 comprises an annular rim 13 which is somewhat thicker than the remainder of the device, for example, being about A of an inch. Radiating inwardly thereof, like the spokes of a wheel, is a series of thin webs or membranes 14 which connect the annular rim 13 to the integral cone-shaped spring plug 15. Webs 14 are extremely thin and frangible being only slightly thicker than conventional cellophane. Annular rim 13 is further connected to spring plug 15 by States Patent 0 2,755,951 Patented July 24, 1956 the thicker bridge members 16 which are in a line perpendicularly related to the line of the pull tabs 12. The bridge members 16 do not rupture upon lifting of the cap but, on the contrary, maintain a firm connection with the spring member 15.

Annular rim 13 is formed on opposite sidewall portions thereof, in alignment with bridges 16, with a pair of cut-outs 17 of inverted V-shaped form. The cutouts 17 extend completely across the rim 13 as illustrated in Figure 4 and are separated by an uncut portion 18 which continues into the bridge members 16. Cut-outs 17 are designed to provide natural hinge points when the cap is lifted as hereinafter described. The underside of the cap 10 may further be provided with serrations 19 for facilitating the gripping thereof.

Plug 15 is substantially hollow and an interior coneshapecl spring member 20 is formed therein. The leading end 21 of plug 15 is bevelled inwardly so as to facilitate insertion thereof in the neck of the bottle. The cone spring member 20 exerts an outward thrust against the inner wall of the neck 11 and thus effectively urges the barrel of the plug radially outwardly in all directions so as to provide a satisfactory seal for the bottle neck. It will be understood that such bottles often house volatile contents such as perfume and a tight seal is necessary.

The device of the instant invention is used in the following way:

The bottle neck 11 is provided with a conventional form of screw cap, not shown. This screw cap may be used after the cap 10 including the plug 15 has been removed and discarded. In order to remove the cap 10, the user will pry up the tabs 12 and will swing the cap halves upwardly such as disclosed in Figure 5. The inverted V-shaped cut-outs 17 will spread apart at their apexes to form the hinge lines 22 about which the cap halves swing. This will break the thin webs 14 as illustrated in Figure 5 but the rim 13 will still be connected to the spring member 15 by the portions 13 and bridges 16. The joint halves of the cap 10, as illustrated in Figure 5, may then be grasped by the fingers and pulled upwardly so as to correspondingly pull the plug 15 out of the bottle neck. The contents of the bottle will then be made available for use.

After the cap 10 has been removed as above described, the user may want to replace it. However, the broken webs 14 of the cap will at all times thereafter bear witness of the fact that it has been removed and that the sealing of the bottle has been tampered with. Accordingly, if a new user should purchase the bottle and, upon removing the screw cap, find that the webs 14 are broken, she will know that the bottle has been tampered with.

What is claimed is:

l. A tamperproof closure for a bottle neck comprising a planar cap having a substantially annular rim, a central plug depending from said cap and adapted to enter and be secured within said bottle neck, said rim being formed with opposite cut-outs extending through the rim sidewall and diametrically of the rim whereby said cap will tend to bend along a line including said cut-outs when the sides of the cap perpendicular to said opposite cut-outs are brought toward each other, and a plurality of spoke-like webs of thin frangible material lying substantially in the plane of said cap and connecting said plug and said rim, said rim, plug, and webs being integral and the webs being thinner than said plug and rim so as to be more frangible than said plug and mm.

2. A tamperproof closure according to claim 1 and including relatively thick bridge portions further connecting said rim and said plug and being in substantial alignment with said cut-outs.

3. A tamperproof closure according to claim 2 and including a pair of lifting tabs on respectively diametrically opposite points of said cap and along a line perpendicular to the line of said cut-outs.

4. A tamperproof closure according to claim 3 and wherein said cut-outs are of inverted V-form and comprise two cut-out portions which are spaced from each other and on opposite sidewall portions of said rim.

5. A tamperproof closure according to claim 4 and including a plurality of serrations on the underside of said rim.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kent Aug. 29, 1905 Young Feb. 21, 1911 Erastofi May 11, 1937 Atwood May 2, 1939 De Swart July 27, 1943 Martin Oct. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATE TS France Jan. 5, 1935 

